AkzoNobel’s demo plant for breakthrough ethylene amines in Sweden

Posted on June 13, 2018

AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals has broken ground for a demonstration plant to showcase a revolutionary and more sustainable technology platform for producing ethylene amines and their derivatives from ethylene oxide. Located at its Stenungsund site in Sweden, the facility marks the next step towards commercialisation of the patented technology.

In parallel to the construction the company has already started to explore options for a world-scale manufacturing facility.

The new technology will significantly reduce raw material consumption and substantially improve cost and environmental performance when compared with existing processes. The flexibility of the technology will allow for a selective production of a wide range of end products, enabling the company to expand its amines product offering.

“The demonstration plant is an important step in further maturing the technology, aiming to prove that the technology meets performance expectations on an industrially relevant scale,” said Hendrik van Dam, Innovation Project Manager of AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals’ Ethylene Amines business. “It will also produce significant quantities of final product for customer validation.”

The range of ethylene amines targeted by the new technology platform includes diethylenetriamine (DETA) and triethylenetetramine (TETA), which are key building blocks in a number of growth applications such as epoxy curing, lube oil additives, and oil field chemicals.

“This promising technology is a clear example of the company’s commitment to growth through the introduction of new products and processes that better serve our customers,” said Joppe Smit, General Manager of the Ethylene Amines business. “The ability to extend the ethylene oxide-based ethylene amine product portfolio and selectively produce compounds like TETA has always been one of the major opportunities in our industry.”

“We strongly believe the newly developed technology has the potential to become a game-changer in the industry. In fact, in parallel to the construction of this demonstration plant we have already started to explore options for a world-scale manufacturing facility,” said Werner Fuhrmann, CEO of AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals.

AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals is a leader in the ethylene amines industry. Operating two production plants – one in Stenungsund, Sweden, and one in Ningbo, China – the company services customers in the agrochemicals, personal care and wet strength paper resins industry.